U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque District
Earth Day lesson on Quagga/Zebra mussels
Corps' Natural Resource Specialist Ranger John Mueller describes the damages Quagga mussels inflict on our lakes and dams.
Over 900 participants descended on the Tucumcari, N.M. Outdoor Classroom to celebrate the 41st Annual Earth Day on April 21, 2011. Students and teachers from Tucumcari, Fort Sumner, San Jon, and Logan, N.M., elementary schools attended the all-day event that rotated groups of students through 10 separate learning stations. Presenters included experts from the Nature Conservancy speaking about reptiles and amphibians, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs on archeology, an entomologist from New Mexico State University on butterflies, New Mexico Game and Fish on New Mexico wildlife, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Corps’ Natural Resource Specialist Ranger John Mueller from the District’s Conchas Lake and Ranger Bob Mumford from the District’s Santa Rosa Lake provided 20 interpretive presentations that centered on the invasive species known as the Zebra/Quagga mussel. Students learned about the nuisance species’ origin, history, how to identify them and ways to prevent their spread to new habitats.
Ranger Mueller unveiled a new educational tool: a Quagga mussel infested propeller that had been submerged in Lake Mead, Nevada for 13 months and is now enclosed in a protected display case. This helped inspire interest and provoked many questions from the students.
Earth Day lesson on Quagga/Zebra mussels
Corps' Natural Resource Specialist Ranger John Mueller describes the damages Quagga mussels inflict on our lakes and dams.
Over 900 participants descended on the Tucumcari, N.M. Outdoor Classroom to celebrate the 41st Annual Earth Day on April 21, 2011. Students and teachers from Tucumcari, Fort Sumner, San Jon, and Logan, N.M., elementary schools attended the all-day event that rotated groups of students through 10 separate learning stations. Presenters included experts from the Nature Conservancy speaking about reptiles and amphibians, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs on archeology, an entomologist from New Mexico State University on butterflies, New Mexico Game and Fish on New Mexico wildlife, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Corps’ Natural Resource Specialist Ranger John Mueller from the District’s Conchas Lake and Ranger Bob Mumford from the District’s Santa Rosa Lake provided 20 interpretive presentations that centered on the invasive species known as the Zebra/Quagga mussel. Students learned about the nuisance species’ origin, history, how to identify them and ways to prevent their spread to new habitats.
Ranger Mueller unveiled a new educational tool: a Quagga mussel infested propeller that had been submerged in Lake Mead, Nevada for 13 months and is now enclosed in a protected display case. This helped inspire interest and provoked many questions from the students.